Guinness Book of World Records is the prime source of such top-ranked trivia, and this fancy edition for 2001 is no exception. With its large, hardcover format, bright colors, numerous photos, and quality print job, this book deserves a permanent home on your coffee table. Divided into color-coded sections such as crime, gadgets, spacecraft, weather, sports, and the ever-fascinating human body, you'll find everything from the bestselling hip-hop album (CrazySexyCool by TLC) to the rarest living creature (an Abingdon Island giant tortoise by the name of Lonesome George). Fun high-tech categories include most-visited Web sites (www.france98.com), fastest-selling PC game (Myst), and fastest-spreading worm (the dreaded "I love you"). Showcasing some of mankind's proudest achievements, the two pages devoted to robots present us the slightly absurd "most cocktails mixed by a robot," accomplished by Cynthia and Rastus from Cynthia's Cyberbar, along with many more-practical successes. Young and ambitious readers will find one short section especially inspiring. At the back of the book, specific instructions tell you how to go about setting your own world record, including contact information, guidelines, and suggestions on how to prevail without becoming a world-class athlete or permanently altering your body. Following this helpful information is a list of some of the more unusual accomplishments that resulted in new records: marshmallow nose blow, heaviest ear lift, longest bubble, and fastest ketchup drinker are but a few. Whether you use this book to settle bar bets, entertain the family, or inspire yourself to dizzying heights of personal achievement, it's a sure hit for trivia buffs of all ages. --Jill Lightner
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